Will the Boston Celtics guarantee Jabari Parker’s contract by this Friday?

Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has his first big decision of 2022 to make this coming Friday.

Jabari Parker’s 2021-22 salary will be guaranteed on that date if Stevens doesn’t choose to waive the former #2 pick.

Parker has played just 37 minutes since the start of December, though he did miss a portion of the month in the NBA’s Healthy and Safety protocols. In five appearances, he scored 16 points, including nine on Christmas Day in a loss against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Many players around the league will be in the same scenario as Parker. Bobby Marks tweeted out the full list of teams and the players they must decide on:

That’s a lot of potential free agents that could hit the market and be signed with Parker’s current roster spot.

The Boston Celtics are likelier to cut Jabari Parker with losses to the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks

The first win of 2022 was a spectacular one for Boston Celtics fans, who didn’t get anything close to a spread cover against the Orlando Magic. In fact, the Cs looked likely to lose until the final moments of regulation, which segued into a 116-111 overtime triumph.

They don’t have solid footing in the Eastern Conference postseason picture and would need to win two NBA Play-in games if the regular season ended today. The New York Knicks, Boston’s opponent on Thursday, sits just a game behind them in the standings.

Two losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Knicks would assuredly force Stevens’ hand and urge him to purge Parker from the rotation in favor of someone capable of contributing more regularly.